ABOUT US
Our Mission: Leading the community to keep Santa Fe clean, green and beautiful.
Our Vision: A community of inspired, active and passionate stewards of our beautiful city.
We are a nonprofit volunteer program that partners with the City of Santa Fe’s Environmental Services Division on environmental education, litter awareness and prevention and beautification programs. Our projects include the City of Santa Fe Welcome Sign, annual Great American Cleanup and Toss No Mas Cleanup days, the Adopt-a-Median program to landscape city medians, the partnership with the MASTER’s Program Early College Charter High School, the Cigarette Litter Prevention Program (No Ifs, Ands, or Butts!), rain garden installations, and much more!
Meet the Board of Directors
Chris McLarry
Chairman
Originally from Dallas Texas, Chris moved to Santa Fe in 1989. After college he opened a small gallery in Dallas selling arts and crafts from New Mexico. After 3 years, he moved to Santa Fe to direct a gallery owned by a renowned sculptor. Chris opened McLarry Fine Art at 225 Canyon Road 25 years ago, and the gallery has since become one of most prominent galleries in Santa Fe. He enjoys all the outdoor activities Santa Fe has to offer.
Carol Branch
Executive Director
Carol J. Branch is Executive Director of Keep Santa Fe Beautiful (KSFB) and a longtime leader and contributor in community service-related programs and projects throughout New Mexico. Carol grew up in Santa Fe and returned home 10 years ago to serve the County as Volunteer Coordinator for the Community Services Department, improving hiking and biking trails and beautifying public lands with the help of many volunteers. Carol served as a KSFB board member for five years before becoming KSFB’s executive director and the Environmental Services Division’s Environmental Programs Manager.
Steve Sandoval
Secretary & Communications Chair
Miquela Gonzales
Community Outreach Chair
Melissa Houser
Treasurer
Steve Sandoval recently retired from Los Alamos National Laboratory where he worked for 23 years. He currently is the communications chair and secretary of the Keep Santa Fe Beautiful Board of Directors. Prior to joining the Laboratory in the early 1990s, Sandoval was the press secretary to former Santa Fe Mayor Sam Pick and also was the city of Santa Fe’s Public Information Director. For nearly eight years he was a staff writer and editor at the Albuquerque Journal, focusing on education, higher education and other topics.
Miquela Gonzales was born and raised in Santa Fe, she retired from the Santa Fe Police Department after 27 years of service as a Criminal Information Analyst. She is a current member and past board member of the Fraternal Order of Police. Her hobbies are bowling in a league, fishing, watching and attending sporting events, and watching movies. Miquela serves as the Community Outreach Chair for Keep Santa Fe beautiful. As a Crime Analyst she dealt with many neighborhoods and is looking to reconnect with them to ensure our amazing city stays beautiful.
Melissa Pardeahton Houser is an avid outdoorswoman, researcher, conservationist, environmentalist, and vegan chef. Melissa is grateful to assist KSFB in leading the community to keep Santa Fe clean, green, and beautiful. Melissa has experience in the areas of nonprofit governance, policy creation and administration, financial oversight, office management, database system administration, customer service, and marketing. With a Master of Philosophy from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland and a Bachelor of Arts from Pitzer College Melissa obtained solid training in research, writing, proofreading, and analysis. Melissa is the Land Program Manager for the Santa Fe Conservation Trust and also serves as a Community Board member for the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market.
Linda Duran
Education Outreach Chair
Karen Cardenas Reynolds
Special Events Chair
Dave Parker
Vice Chair
Linda is a Spanish native who was born and raised into the culture of Santa Fe, New Mexico. She has continued her devotion to her hometown and state by earning her master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from New Mexico State University and continuing to professionally serve children in New Mexico Schools for 35 years. She believes that KSFB’s mission statement: Leading the community to keep Santa Fe Green, clean and beautiful will be accomplished by educating our youth to develop personal responsibility toward caring for our public lands and encouraging them to take pride in our community to keep Santa Fe clean and sustainable for generations to come. Linda has raised 4 successful children who are all NM college graduates. Viva Santa Fe.
Karen (Kaye) Cardenas Reynolds is a native Santa Fean. She is retired from a career as a Manager in State Government, then 17 years as West Coast Marketing Director of WineWeb.com, and also a past President and board member of the Santa Fe St. Vincent de Paul Society. Kaye’s varied education, life and business experience are an asset to the KSFB board. Kaye’s passions include gardening, painting, cooking, traveling, pickleball and volunteer Senior Olympics Events planner and yearly participant.
Dave Parker was raised in New England, Dave began his career in the Food & Beverage Industry in a number of the great hotels in Boston. A few years living and working around the U.S. and abroad led to Dave meeting his wife Debbie, a multi-generation Santa Fean. From the first time Debbie showed him around Santa Fe over 30 years ago, Dave has loved the beauty and character of Santa Fe. Dave is grateful and honored to be a part of KSFB, and truly enjoys the interaction with the diverse and talented individuals on the Board who are dedicated to the beatification and sustainability of our very special city.
Rick Martinez
Member at Large
I joined the board in 2013 and was chair for seven years. In 2009, my wife Deanna and I received Keep Santa Fe Beautiful’s 2009 individual volunteers of the year award. In 2014, I got permission to paint the Caboose at the corner of Saint Francis Drive and Cerrillos Road as a beautification project. Then only a year later I found out it was to have been sold. I led a successful fundraising effort to purchase the caboose and signed an agreement with the City of Santa Fe for 25 years securing the placement of the caboose. KSFB is now the proud owner of the iconic Caboose. In November 2016 I was chosen to be one of the 10 That Made a Difference by the Santa Fe New Mexican for my volunteer efforts and civic engagement. I continue to volunteer with neighborhood organizations as well as Keep Santa Fe Beautiful.
Jody LeFevers
Youth Outreach Coordinator
Jody teaches philosophy, U.S. Government, and economics at The MASTER’s Program in Santa Fe. He has been teaching for most of his professional life. Jody holds a Master of Arts in Liberal Arts degree from St. John’s College and a M.Ed. from Eastern New Mexico University. His undergraduate work was focused in economics and history. When not reading and talking with students, Jody can be found running or mountain biking on the trails around Santa Fe or riding his motorcycle around Northern New Mexico.
Michael Galya
Member at Large
Michael Galya grew up in Albuquerque, where he attended the Albuquerque Academy. After completing a degree in Communications and Journalism at the UConn, Michael entered a career in art, which he has continued for 20 years. Michael has experience as the Director of several galleries, the Director of Enrollment at the College of Santa Fe, and owner operator of his own gallery, Luca decor. In addition to being a local business owner, Michael also has a child enrolled in the Santa Fe Public School system, and a homeowner within the historic district. Michael cares passionately about improving Santa Fe, for his daughter and future generations of Santa Feans.
KSFB Staff
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Michelle Romero-Babcock
ESD Program Coordinator
Rebecca Aubin
ESD Program Coordinator
Peter Olson
ESD Outreach Coordinator
Ex-Officio Board Members:
Vacant, SF Solid Waste Management Agency
Vacant, Santa Fe County
Vacant, NM Clean & Beautiful